09/04/09

The Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation co-sponsored this briefing, for reporters, to explore some of the important issues that must be settled if President Obama is to sign a meaningful health reform bill this year. Issues addressed include: Will there be a public plan option or, as an alternative, health insurance co-ops? How will reform be financed? Can the “cost curve” be bent, either during or after the 10-year window that’s the focus of Congressional Budget Office “scoring”? How might Medicare change – or facilitate change – in a reformed system? How will reform affect employers, especially small businesses?

For more information, please visit the Alliance's event page.

 Full Video

 Podcast

The panel is moderated by Ed Howard of the Alliance For Health Care Reform and Risa Lavizzo-Mourey of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

 Ed Howard

 Risa Lavizzo-Mourey

Speakers include:

• Gail Wilensky, Project HOPE, former chairman of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and former administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (now Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)
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• Dallas Salisbury, president and CEO of the Employee Benefit Research Institute
   Video
  
  
• Ken Thorpe, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, Emory University
   Video
  

Q&A
 Video